Chapter 226.
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CHAP. 226.— AN ACT To prevent the disclosure of national defense secrets. March 3, 1911.[[H. R. 26656](/us/bill/36/hr/26656).][[Public, No. 470](/us/bill/36/pl/470).] *Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled*, That whoever, for the purpose of obtaining information respecting the national defenseNational defense., to which he is not lawfully entitled, goes upon any vessel, or enters Offenses specified.any navyyard, naval station, fort, battery, torpedo station, arsenal, camp, factory, building, office, or other place connected with the national defense, owned or constructed or in process of Obtaining unlawful information.construction by the United States, or in the possession or under the control of the United States or any of its authorities or agents, and whether situated within the United otates or in any place noncontiguous to but subject to the jurisdiction thereof;
Obtaining photo graphs, sketches, plans, etc.or whoever, when lawfully or unlawfully upon any vessel, or in or near any such place, without proper authority, obtains, takes, or makes, or attempts to obtain, take, or make, any document, sketch, photograph, photographic negative, plan, model, or knowledge of anything connected with the national defense to which he is not entitled; or whoever, without proper authority, Receiving unlawful information.receives or obtains, or undertakes or agrees to receive or obtain, from any person, any such document, sketch, photograph, photographic negative, plan, model, or knowledge, knowing the same to have been so obtained, taken, or made; or whoever, having possession of or control over any such document, sketch, photograph, photographic negative, plan, model, or knowledge, willfully and without proper authority, Communicating information.communicates or attempts to communicate the same to any person not entitled to receive it, or to whom the same ought not, in the interest of the national defense, be communicated at that time; or whoever, Disclasing plans, etc.being lawfully intrusted with any such document, sketch, photograph, photographic negative, plan, model, or knowledge, willfully and in breach of his trust, so communicates or attempts to communicate the same, shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars, Punishment.or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.
Sec.2.That whoever, having committed any offense defined in the preceding section, communicates or attempts to communicatePunishment for communication to foreign governments, etc.to any foreign government, or to any agent or employee thereof, any document, sketch, photograph, photographic negative, plan, model, or knowledge so obtained, taken, or made, or so intrusted to him, shall be imprisoned not more than ten years. Sec.3.That offenses against the provisions of this ActJurisdiction for offenses on high seas.committed upon the high seas or elsewhere outside of a judicial district shall be cognizable in the district where the offender is found or into which he is first brought; but offenses hereunder committed within the Philippine Islands In the Philippines.shall be cognizable in any court of said islands having original jurisdiction of criminal cases, with the same right of appeal as is given in other criminal cases where imprisonment exceeding one year forms a part of the penalty; and jurisdiction is hereby conferred upon such courts for such purpose.
Approved, March 3, 1911.